Rebuilding the Past
by rumpelsnorcack
Summary: While in quarantine, Harry and Ginny work on remodeling Grimmauld Place - and their relationship
1. Chapter 1

In the aftermath of the war Molly Weasley and Andromeda Tonks formed an unlikely partnership. They came together through the mutual pain of losing a child and knowing that they understood each other better than most others around them. Months later the pain had receded but a firm friendship remained. Both women liked to control their worlds but despite this, there had been very little tension between them.

One day about a year after the war the two met at a favourite café. Little Teddy played nearby, tiny stubby legs still wobbly as he lurched towards the tiny brooms the shop provided in a fenced off area for their smallest customers. Watching him playing, Molly sighed wistfully.

'I can't wait until Victoire grows up a little,' she said. 'Harry already has a set of big slow moving fluffy snitches for her. I didn't have the heart to tell him the baby won't be able to chase them for at least a few more months.'

'How is Harry?' Andromeda asked, keeping an eagle eye on Teddy in case he fell off the broom he had captured. 'He hasn't been around much lately and he always seems distracted when he's at our place.'

'I really don't know.' Molly said. 'He hasn't been near our place much lately either. Ginny's finished school now, but even with Ginny home Harry hasn't been around much.'

'What's up with those two?' Andromeda was still focused on Teddy but there was a tension in her shoulders that Molly realized meant she was very interested in her answer. 

She sighed heavily. 'I have no idea. After the war I thought things would happen.' Molly drew her hands together indicating a union, then added, 'but they just keep drifting along and neither one talks to the other and neither one is happy.' She dropped her hands into her lap with a sigh. 'I want to slam their heads together sometimes, but when I try to say anything Ginny gives me this look and leaves the room.'

Andromeda pulled her eyes away from Teddy for a moment, and giggled. 'You know what they need? A good shove in the right direction.'

Harry was frustrated. He had just got Teddy to bed in Grimmauld Place and was already regretting agreeing to look after him while Andromeda went to work. Her normal babysitter had come down with the Dragon Pox and Andromeda was at her wits end. Harry had offered to look after the boy and at first it had been easy, but getting Teddy into bed for his afternoon nap had been hellish. Who knew small children needed five hundred toys with them to make sleeping acceptable?

Harry sighed and turned his attention back to the job at hand. Today's mission in the quest to make the house livable was the worst of it. He had consulted several magical experts and they all agreed that the wall could be removed and that with just a little magic the integrity of the house would be uncompromised. He took a deep breath and pulled back the muggle sledgehammer again.

Just as he pulled the hammer back a loud knock sounded at the door, the curtains in front of him flew back to reveal a screaming Mrs Black.

'Alright, I'm coming,' he shouted as another, more insistent, knock sounded at the door.

Picking his shirt up from the floor, he made his way to the front door. Shouts followed him down the hallway. 'Filth, scum, defacing the ancient house, no respect for tradition …'

He was grimacing as he pulled open the door, ready to lambast whoever it was who had set off the portrait and made his job a hundred times harder. The glare on the face of the girl on the other side of the door was enough to freeze the words on his lips.

'Ginny,' he said, astonished into civility.

'Harry.' She nodded at him, one eyebrow raised as she took in his shirtless chest. Harry blushed and shrugged his shirt back on. 'Um, can I come in?' Ginny continued. 'Mum sent me over with some things she insisted you needed in your remodeling.'

Harry stood back and let her pass him into the hall. She looked around with interest and took in the hastily discarded sledgehammer and the still screaming portrait. She flicked her wand and the curtains flew back into place.

'Nice place, Harry. Very atmospheric.' She grinned at him and he scowled and picked up the sledgehammer again. A muffled scream echoed from behind the curtains and Harry grinned sourly.

'I'm getting rid of her. First stop in the war on this house.' He swung the hammer at the edge of the wall and it crashed through with a satisfying jarring feeling.

'Couldn't you do that with magic?' asked Ginny, cocking her head to the side and admiring the quivering of the curtains. She wasn't sure if it was from the force of Harry's blow or if the portrait itself was cowering under the onslaught, but it made her happy to think of removing the woman's presence from the house.

'Nope,' said Harry a little more cheerfully. 'The wall has anti-magic charms on it as well as the permanent sticking charm, but she forgot to protect it against good old muggle force.'

Ginny giggled as the wall shook again with the force of Harry's next blow. Mrs Black's screams rose in intensity and volume as the wall around her began to fall away.

'Do you have another one of those, Harry? I'd love to have a go at silencing that woman.' Harry looked over at Ginny, hearing the fierce longing in her voice. For the first time in what felt like forever, she wasn't avoiding him, or shouting at him. He put his own hammer down, pulled out his wand and cast the geminio charm on it. He picked it up, hefted it to test its weight, then passed it to Ginny.

'I'm not sure how long that will hold out for since it's not original, but I'm sure you'll get a good few blows in before it disappears on us.' The grin he directed at Ginny was infectious and she found herself grinning back. She pulled her own hammer back and then slammed it forward into the wall on the opposite side of the portrait. She wasn't ready for the resulting jolt of energy down her arms as the sledge hammer made contact with the wall and bounced back. Harry, who had been watching her, said, 'plant your feet a bit more firmly, like this. Then pull back with your whole body.' When Ginny did as he suggested the hammer went through the wall with a very satisfying crack. She wrestled it out of the wall, still grinning.

'Oh, I like this muggle way of remodeling, Harry. It's very,' she swung the hammer back again, 'therapeutic,' she added as the hammer went through the wall. Harry nodded his agreement as his own hammer crashed through the wall too. Vaguely through the crashes he heard the alarm he'd set up in case anyone flooed him.

Leaving Ginny enthusiastically smashing at the wall, he headed into the kitchen. Andromeda's head was sitting in the fire, looking anxious.

'Oh, Harry, thank goodness you're there. I was worried you might have taken Teddy out before I could get hold of you.'

Harry knelt at the fireplace, concerned. The tone of Andromeda's voice spoke of deep worry even while she tried to appear as normal as she could.

'What's wrong, Andromeda?'

'I've just been alerted that since Teddy has been exposed to Dragon Pox he has to stay in quarantine for the next five days, and since you've been with him all day you'll have to stay there too. You can't let anyone into the house and no-one who's there right now can leave.'

Harry blinked rapidly, trying to figure this one out. 'But, Ginny's here. She can leave, right?'

'Oh dear. Oh no.' If Harry had been paying attention to Andromeda, rather than worrying about the implications of her statement, he might have noticed the flicker of amusement that crossed her face. 'She's going to have to stay there too. Doctor's orders were to seal off the house immediately and that's already been done. Don't worry Harry, we'll send in food via the floo, but none of you can go anywhere, not until Teddy gets the all clear.'

Harry sighed and wondered how he was going to broach this one to Ginny. Ever since the war had ended she had been distant from him and they didn't have that old ease of relating to each other. Maybe, though, his heart started beating faster as he thought about it, maybe he could use this time to talk to her the way he'd wanted to for the last year. Maybe this wasn't such a bad deal after all.

With a new sparkle in his eye Harry returned to the hallway where Mrs Black's shrieks had become so apoplectic she had become indecipherable. Ginny was singing loudly as she smashed at the wall with her hammer. Between them they made a cacophony and yet Harry paused in the doorway, a smile on his face for the first time in what felt like forever. Ginny's hair was plastered to her skull in what should have been a completely unattractive way and yet Harry found it very endearing. The gleam in her eye as she swung her sledgehammer back at the wall bordered on manic but the whole package radiated appeal. As she swung the hammer behind her, her voice rising yet again in response to Mrs Black's latest scream, Ginny noticed Harry and stopped, dropping her eyes to the ground, embarrassed that he had caught her singing. Pretending he hadn't noticed, Harry walked into the room grimacing.

'We're in quarantine,' he said matter of factly as he picked up his own hammer. As he turned back to the wall he heard the other hammer crash to the ground.

'What? We're what?' The raw emotion in her voice told Harry exactly what Ginny thought of that idea and he felt his heart lurch.

'In quarantine. Teddy's been exposed to Dragon Pox and until we're sure he doesn't have it we're stuck here. Together.' Harry cast a look towards Ginny in time to see her face blanch. His heart twisted. Was it really that bad – the idea of being with him? There had been a time when she had fought tooth and nail to be together, but now it seemed like she wanted nothing more to do with him. He sighed, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder before thinking better of it and pulling his hand back to his side.

'Sorry, Ginny. It can't be helped. Could we – could we just try to get along for a few days? For Teddy's sake? Or for old time's sake? It could be a laugh.'

'Yeah, right, a laugh,' Ginny grunted. As she looked at Harry's downcast face, she relented. 'Okay, I'll try. For Teddy's sake – he's going to go nuts stuck here anyway without us being all tense.'

'There, see. We're good. This is going to be good.' Harry swung his hammer at the wall again and together they picked up the rhythm until Mrs Black's portrait lay still and broken on the floor amidst a fair amount of debris and an outraged silence at her new situation.

'Issall messy,' a tiny voice from the stairway said. 'Harry messy, too.'

Harry turned to look at Teddy. 'Hey, buddy, you got up then.' Harry ignored Ginny's quirked eyebrow, knowing that he really should have put some sort of charm on the door to Teddy's room. 'Yeah we're messy, aren't we? Ginny and I are fixing up the house.' Even at his young age, Teddy cast a disbelieving look at the piles of wall surrounding them and giggled. Beside him Ginny started to laugh too and soon all three of them were gasping for breath.

'Harry, go home now? See Granna?' Teddy's voice called Harry out of his laughter. He cast a glance at Ginny who looked sympathetic. 'Good luck,' she mouthed at him as she climbed to her feet and headed for the kitchen. Harry turned back to Teddy, wondering how to do this without traumatising the boy.

'Hey Teddy, what say we call Granna and ask if you can stay here with Ginny and me? We could have a pretend quidditch game.' A flash of excitement lit up Teddy's face, but was immediately followed by a pout.

'Want go home.' He repeated, and Harry sighed, scrubbing his hands through his hair.

'Buddy, we need to talk a bit. Let's go get a drink in the kitchen.' Hoping that Ginny would be able to help him work out what to say to make this more palatable for the small boy, Harry took Teddy's hand and led him to the kitchen. Even though she had been angry with him, Harry knew that Ginny would be preparing a comfort dose of hot chocolate for Teddy. She had told him once in passing that as a very small child that's what Molly had always done and that she had loved how cared for it made her feel.

After a tear-inducing explanation, the complete rejection of Ginny's proferred hot chocolate, and an emergency floo call to Andromeda who promised all Teddy's favourite foods, Harry was ready to tear his hair out. When he had imagined being stuck here with Ginny he hadn't expected a grumpy and tearful Teddy to be part of the package. He stared at the boy in frustration, unsure what else to do to stop the gulping sobs still wracking Teddy's body.

Taking pity on him, Ginny bent down and looked Teddy straight in the eye. 'Sweetie, why don't we go out back and play for a bit. It'll be an adventure – maybe Harry can turn the back yard into a fairyland. I used to love that when I was a little girl.' To Harry's astonishment the sobs started to fade away and a glimmer of interest appeared on the tiny face. Harry caught Ginny's eye as she led Teddy towards the back door and the wink she gave him made his heart race a little as he quickly grabbed some bread rolls from the pantry and followed them out. This was the start of what Harry thought was likely to be a very long five days.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

By the evening Harry was exhausted. They had played every game they could think of to distract Teddy and make him enjoy the enforced stay at Grimauld Place. Thankfully Teddy went to bed early, slumping in exhaustion after finishing his favourite dinner of hippogriff-shaped chicken nuggets. After tucking Teddy into his bed, Harry returned to the living room where he found Ginny slumped on one of the couches.

'You look about how I feel,' he said, startling her and drawing her tired eyes to his.

'Since you look terrible, I'm going to take that as an insult,' Ginny teased as she swung her legs off the couch, unconsciously making room for Harry the way she always had back at Hogwarts. Watching her, Harry longed for the days when he could just go to her without worrying about how she would react.

'I thought I was being sympathetic,' Harry said, sitting down next to her and waving his wand to turn the wireless on.

'You really need to work on your social skills, Potter,' Ginny said, but her voice was light and Harry could tell she was still teasing him. He grinned at her and leaned back against the cushions.

'You know what the most annoying part of this remodelling thing is?' Harry asked. Ginny shrugged. 'The huge pile of wall I now have sitting in my hallway. I have no idea what I'm going to do with it.' He took a deep breath, cocking his ear in the direction of the fallen portrait. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he thought he could still hear muffled insults drifting from under the rubble. Ginny sniggered.

'I don't think Sirius's mum was very pleased with us, Harry, but I have to say it was a lot of fun.' She settled more comfortably onto her seat, brushing her thigh against Harry's a sshe did so. The movement sent a jolt of energy through him.

On an impulse he blurted out, 'why have you been so angry with me, Ginny?' She stiffened and pulled away from him and Harry knew it had been the wrong thing to say. He stared at his lap expecting her to blast him. Instead, she looked at him with tired eyes and time lengthened while she worked out what she should say. Finally, when Harry was on the brink of fidgeting with nerves she said, 'during the battle you didn't treat me like a capable person, Harry, you treated me like something to be protected. I ... didn't like it.' Her clear eyes held no accusation, no pain, no sadness. But it was clear to Harry that she meant every word and that while she may have moved on, she still wasn't happy with him.

'But ... I ...' Harry didn't know what to say. It had been a year and she was still upset about that? Harry remembered their one aborted conversation after the battle when she had said something similar and turned away from him. They had both been overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation and he had closed down for a while too, but surely after all this time they should have moved on? Harry tried to gather his thoughts into a reasonable argument to make her change her mind. Before he could muster his thoughts into anything coherent, however, Ginny had gone leaving only a hint of her flowery perfume.

As Harry tried to pull his scattered wits together he heard a sharp crack in the hallway.

'Master Harry! What have you been doing with my poor mistress's house?' Kreacher's voice was strident with outrage and Harry grimaced. This was just what he needed at the end of this very odd day. Sighing, he dragged himself off the couch and went to confront the debris. Kreacher was busy trying to unearth Mrs Black's portrait and cursing under his breath as he did so. For one breath-stealing moment Harry was reminded of the days when this house had been the headquarters of the Order and Kreacher had been its willing assistant, then the elf looked up and a smile cracked his face.

'Master Harry, you do not look after this place properly without poor Kreacher's help. Kreacher will be staying to help tidy and fix up poor mistress's picture.'

'It's good to see you again Kreacher. Is Hogwarts back to its old self then?'

'Hogwarts school is looking very nice now, Master Harry. There is not much work to be done there.' He cast one withering look at the hallway around him. 'Here, there is much work, Master Harry, and Kreacher will do it.' He began bustling around, picking up pieces of the wall. Harry rushed in to stop him.

'Kreacher, no, you don't have to do that. I'll just ...' he looked around, wondering what to do with the mess. 'I'll just vanish it outside.'

'Master Harry! That is just shifting the mess, not properly cleaning it. You must do it properly.'

'Okay, Kreacher, I will. Just ... don't worry about it tonight. We'll figure out what to do in the morning.'

'As Master Harry wishes.' The muffled shrieks that Harry had thought he could hear from the living room were louder out here, and Kreacher cast a longing look at the rubble.

'Let's ... ah, let's go into the kitchen Kreacher. I have something I need to talk to you about.'

'The kitchen, Master Harry. Yes. Kreacher must make sure Master Harry is looking after himself properly.'

Once safely in the kitchen, Harry explained the situation in the house while Kreacher pottered around cleaning surfaces that were already sparkling. 'So, you see, none of us can leave because of the quarantine ... and I think that includes you now Kreacher. I'll have to check with Hermione whether elves can transmit the pox to humans.'

'Never fear, Master Harry. Kreacher will be staying here. Master Harry's house needs a lot of cleaning. Kreacher has a lot to do to fix it up. Kreacher will show Master Harry how to be proud of his house.'

Harry laughed. 'Okay Kreacher, but I have to warn you I'll be doing more renovations so there will be lots of mess.'

Kreacher shuddered but bowed low, the locket Harry had given him scraping the floor as he did so. The locket reminded Harry of Kreacher charging into the Great Hall at Hogwarts and he smiled. Memories of the battle called Ginny's comments back into Harry's mind and he had a sudden idea. 'Wait, Kreacher. Show ... what a great idea. I'll _show_ Ginny that I do think she's capable.' Harry's face lit up with the possibilities.

Clearly not understanding, Kreacher nevertheless patted Harry's arm as he passed the table. Lost in thought, Harry remained sitting in the kitchen, a cup of tea going cold at his elbow, until the fire he'd built for the floo connection burned low in the hearth and he dragged himself off to bed.

Next morning, Harry woke to the sounds of cheerful giggling and the rich scent of bacon cooking. Bleary-eyed he found his way to the kitchen to see Ginny tickling Teddy as Kreacher prepared an extremely large breakfast.

'Kreacher, how many people do you think we're feeding here?' Harry asked, careful to avoid staring at Ginny, whose flame red hair kept trying to catch his attention.

'Master Harry does not look after himself properly and Kreacher is making sure there is enough food.'

Ginny laughed. 'Kreacher, this is wonderful, but we truly don't need to eat this much. You've almost made enough to feed all of Hogwarts.' The teasing voice she used reminded Harry of the way she had teased him last night, and the grin she sent him made his knees go weak. That, he thought, was unfair at this time of the morning.

'Teddy,' he called, shaking himself out of his thoughts, 'I need to chat with you.'

He beckoned the tiny boy to follow him out of the room. Ginny tried to follow but he waved her off, saying, 'no, this is secret man talk. No girls allowed.' He winked at Teddy and quirked his eyebrow at Ginny as if daring her to comment. Ginny gave him what he secretly called 'the look' but she just sat down at the table and helped herself to breakfast. Teddy grinned up at Harry and followed him out of the kitchen on stubby legs.

In the hallway Harry crouched down and looked Teddy straight in the eye. 'Hey, buddy, I know it's not much fun being stuck here for a few days, but how would you like to help me with a secret project for Ginny?'

'Po –wet?' Teddy struggled with the unknown word and Harry laughed, clapping him on the shoulder.

'Okay, let's just call it a secret room. A room for Ginny. Whaddaya say?'

Teddy's beaming grin was answer enough for Harry.

They began later that same day, but keeping it a secret from Ginny was more difficult than Harry had expected. She seemed to be underfoot everywhere he turned, always with a knowing smile on her face. Since she had told him why she was annoyed with him she seemed to have lost some of the frosty demeanor she had confronted him with since the war. She still hadn't forgiven him though, he could tell. She was friendly and open, willing to talk and laugh with him, but she never ventured closer, never hinted that she still had the same feelings for him that had sustained him through the war. Harry forced himself to stop thinking that way and focus on his house, a much less stressful exercise.

Watching Ginny out of the corner of his eye Harry thought he saw her lips twitch upward when he started hinting that she should be somewhere else. Apparently she had worked out that the 'secret man talk' this morning was related to the hints for her to redecorate other parts of the house. After his third attempt to redirect her was unsuccessful, and the suggestion of a smile when he did so had become a full blown teasing grin, Harry decided he needed a new strategy. Watching Ginny playing ostentatiously with Teddy right next to the room he wanted to work on, Harry grinned to himself. _Right_, he thought, _she wants to do it that way? Two can play at that game_.

'Teddy,' he called, 'Ginny said she's going to bake some quidditch themed biscuits in the kitchen. Do you want to help her?'

He sniggered at Ginny's affronted glare. 'I can't bake,' she said in a fierce whisper. He shrugged, and turned away missing the small grin on Ginny's face as she took Teddy's hand and led him towards the kitchen.

Once on his own Harry almost ran into the room he had designated in his mind's eye as 'Ginny's room.' He had special plans for this place. Carefully he cast the illusion charm designed to keep Ginny from seeing what he was doing before he was ready. Then he began to dream of what he would put in here.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Ginny knew Harry was up to something. Every time he saw her he would blush and scurry out of the room on a slim pretext. Her first thought was that he had been spooked by her confession that she hadn't liked the way he'd behaved towards her during the battle at Hogwarts, but since he had been as easy as ever the next morning she knew that wasn't it

As the first real day of their confinement wore on Ginny watched Harry covertly. Ginny was determined to find out what was going on in the corner of the house Harry was carefully keeping her away from. Unfortunately she realised that Harry knew her too well (and why did that knowledge make her flush with some half-remembered emotion?) and made sure that Teddy intercepted every motion she made in that direction.

'You rat!' she mouthed at Harry that afternoon as Teddy dragged her towards the back door to go snowball enchanting before his nap. Frustrated, she balled her hands into fists and wondered how she could get through Harry's defences. Beside her, Teddy squeaked a little as she squeezed his hand a little tight.

'Oh, Teddy, I'm so sorry,' she said, contrite. Gazing down at him she had a sudden idea. Harry wasn't letting _her_ into his little sanctuary, but Teddy was a different story. Once they were bundled into protective clothing and she had cast a warming charm on the air immediately surrounding them, Ginny quickly got down to business. She dropped to her knees and began rolling snow into a ball. Teddy followed suit, though his ball was less round.

'Teddy,' she said, 'you're being a really big help to Harry today, aren't you?'

Teddy nodded solemnly and said, 'yup. I painting. Wif my hands.'

'You're painting, huh? I bet that's fun.' Ginny squealed as Teddy smooshed a snowball into her hair while she was distracted. 'Teddy! We're supposed to be enchanting them to fly,' she laughed. He giggled at her, but did start to roll a new snowball.

'What are you painting? A pretty room?'

'Pwetty, yes.' Teddy carefully finished his snowball, this time placing it carefully on the pile that Ginny was stacking up beside them. 'But secret. Secret for you.'

'A secret for me?' warmth rushed through Ginny as she thought about what Harry was doing. She hated to be kept in the dark, but knowing that Harry was doing something for her made her feel special somehow. In fact being in this house with him was doing dreadful things to her resolve. She hadn't been oblivious to the way his green eyes followed her everywhere, or the way his colour heightened as he looked at her, or the way his rumpled hair looked so bloody good when he'd just run his fingers through it. She could feel the seeds of attraction sprouting again and almost couldn't quite recall why she was so annoyed with him. Almost.

'Fly balls now?' Teddy inquired. Ginny looked down at the pile beside her. Most of them were misformed and untidy but Teddy was clearly very proud of his efforts. Laughing, Ginny cast the spell that made them zoom around and a delighted Teddy spent the next half hour chasing the wads of snow, trying to catch them as they flew past him.

After they got Teddy to sleep that afternoon, Harry excused himself once again and made his way back to the section of the house that he was keeping her out of. Ginny grimaced as she watched him go. Somehow she had to find a way in to see what he was up to. Before she could act on her impulse, however, she heard the chime of the floo go off and turned to see her mother's head in the fireplace, smiling benignly at her.

'Ginny, I was hoping to catch you. How are things going there?'

'Fine. There's so much to do that I almost forget that I can't leave. We've already taken down that foul portrait. The hallway now opens into kitchen directly, and the kitchen is much bigger now than it was before.'

'That's lovely, dear,' said Molly in a distracted tone. 'How is Harry doing with Teddy? Andromeda is a little worried about how he'll cope looking after such a young child.'

'They're fine. Teddy's asleep right now and Harry's off doing some sort of renovation in one of the rooms upstairs. Kreacher is here, too, by the way, and he won't let me cook anything. Seems he doesn't trust me in a kitchen the way he trusts you.'

Molly giggled, 'well dear, you have to admit your cooking is more on the plain side.'

'I can cook,' Ginny said, affronted. 'I eat really well when you and Dad are out.'

'I know, but it's good plain food not gourmet cooking like Kreacher seems to think 'Master Harry' should have.'

Ginny scowled at her and Molly changed the subject. 'I'm glad Harry's well. He's seemed so down and distracted since the battle, you know. It's good he's finally fixing up that mausoleum.'

There was something in the tone of Molly's voice that made Ginny suspicious. 'Did you arrange this somehow, Mum? Make me and Harry stay together in this house?'

Molly's eyes opened wide in a look of outraged innocence. 'Now how could I do that, Ginny? I didn't expose Teddy to the Dragon Pox.'

'No, but you made bloody sure I got to this house before the quarantine went on.' She pointed a finger accusingly at her mother. 'You ... you manipulative ...' Ginny trailed off, aware that if she carried on her mother might not like what she was about to say.

'Now Ginny, don't get upset. I had no idea Teddy was there or that you would all be put into quarantine. I just wanted you to talk to Harry for the afternoon, not for five days.' Her eyes were wide and innocent, but Ginny thought she looked too innocent. There was more going on here than her mother was admitting. Letting out a growl of frustration Ginny spun on her heel.

'Ginny! Could I talk to Harry please? I want to find out what else he needs for his renovations,' he mother called after her. Ginny smirked as she left the room. This was the perfect opportunity to get into the room. She half-turned back to her mother saying, 'I'll just go find him,' and whisked off before her mother could suggest she send Kreacher.

'Harry!' she called as she reached the landing of the stairs. 'Harry! Mum's on the floo; she wants to talk to you.'

Harry scuttled out of the room he had been hiding in, shutting the door so she couldn't get a glimpse inside. She huffed as he reached her.

'Harry, do you think maybe Mum cooked up this Dragon Pox thing to lock us up here together?'

Harry looked shocked at the thought. 'I dunno. What makes you think that? I mean when Andromeda asked me to look after Teddy for a few hours she already knew his baby sitter had the Pox, so it seemed logical ...'

'Mum just seems ... odd, that's all. It's probably nothing. You'd better get down stairs before she sends in a search party.' Ginny's brow furrowed as she watched Harry head down the stairs toward the floo. She was still sure something was up with Molly, and this whole situation just seemed too pat. She shook herself out of the reflections as Harry disappeared around the kitchen door. She had to get into that room and take a look before he got back.

Gingerly she pushed open the door and stepped into the room. It was a disappointing mixture of shabby old furniture, dingy carpeting and musty curtains. There was no sign in here that Harry had been doing anything at all. Ginny took a deep, regretful breath and caught a slight whiff of fresh paint. She crinkled her forehead as she tried to pinpoint the source but it seemed to be all around her. Of course! The solution hit her. Harry must have done an illusion spell on the room. Casting a quick glance at the door to be sure Harry wasn't returning, Ginny whispered, 'Finite Incantatem,' and pointed her wand at the centre of the room. Harry's voice boomed out.

'_You didn't think I'd make it that easy did you, Ginny? No peeking til I'm ready_.'

'_No peeking_,' echoed a tiny boyish voice and the recording finished with the giggles of two very annoying males.

'You are too predictable, Weasley,' said Harry in a smug voice from the doorway. 'I knew you'd try and sneak in to see what I was doing here.'

Ginny blushed, feeling the red flame rise from her neck to the top of her forehead. 'Well, if you didn't insist on keeping secrets when you know I hate them I wouldn't have to sneak around, would I?' She snapped, embarrassed at having been caught out by Harry.

'Secrets are fun,' said Harry, who seemed perfectly at ease which just increased Ginny's discomfort. 'Don't worry, you'll know before long. I reckon it won't take quite the whole five days.' The grin he turned on her made Ginny's heart leap and she blushed again.

'You are completely insufferable, Potter. I'm going to ... go ... somewhere and do ... something.' She turned on her heel and stalked out of the room with as much dignity as she could muster. Behind her she could hear Harry's cheerful whistle as he went about whatever nefarious scheme he had cooked up in the room behind her. Forgetting her momentary embarrassment Ginny smiled a little as she walked down towards the dining area. Presumably because they assumed she'd like to know, Ginny's family had kept her informed of Harry's life. She knew, therefore, that it had been a long time since Harry had been cheerful enough to whistle. Whatever secret he was keeping seemed to be doing him some good, and who could argue with that? Determined never to be caught out by him again, Ginny decided to be patient. Five days wasn't so long, really. She could wait. Couldn't she?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four.

That evening after Teddy fell asleep, Ginny found herself once again in Harry's company in the large living room. She decided that this needed to be the next room tackled in the redecorating. The subdued colours and musty carpet really did nothing for the beautiful proportions of the room. She glanced over at Harry who had today perched himself on the chair across from her rather than share the couch. Feeling an irrational pang of sadness, Ginny sighed heavily.

Harry looked up and smiled wearily at her. Whatever he was doing seemed to be taking a lot out of him. 'What's the matter, Ginny? The confinement getting you down?' Ginny could clearly hear the anxiety in his voice and it warmed her a little to know that Harry was worried that she might be upset about being here.

'No, not at all. I was just looking at this room and wondering what I could do to make it pleasant. Would you mind too much if I decorated this one for you?'

Harry's head snapped up again and the light in his eyes pulled her in. 'Of course you can. I'm sure it will be perfect.' Ginny dragged her eyes away from his intense gaze and blushed.

'Not ... not if you don't want me to ... I mean, you can just tell me what you like ...'

'You already know what I like, Ginny. I know it will be perfect.' Heart thumping, Ginny tried to squash down the feelings that were trying to get out. She fixed her eyes on the floor and mumbled something about what she would do tomorrow.

'I'm sorry, Ginny. Sorry for what I did during the battle ...' the soft voice startled her and she looked at him again. Harry was sitting forward, his eyes intense on hers. 'I didn't mean to upset you, I just ...' Harry restlessly ran his hand through his hair making it stand on end, then he slumped and sat back in the chair. 'Actually, you know what? There's no excuse for what I did. You're right. I didn't treat you right and I'm sorry.'

'Thank you.' It was all Ginny could think of to say. The admission from Harry seemed so sincere, and knowing Harry as she did, it probably was sincere. She just wasn't sure she was ready to forgive him yet. He may be sexy as hell in his own way, he may be everything she had wanted in a boyfriend, but he had still hurt her excruciatingly when he sided with her mother to protect her. The reunion she had hoped for every day they had been apart, the reunion she thought she had deserved, was cheapened by his insistence on keeping her safe in a little box during the fighting. He hadn't apologised afterwards either, indeed hadn't seemed to feel there was any reason to apologise, insisting he'd been right in the way he'd treated her. That he was apologising now was such a big deal that Ginny didn't know how to respond.

Silence enveloped the room as the day darkened quickly into pitch black. Finally Harry roused himself and waved his wand at the lights, making the room bright and comparatively cheerful. Ginny stretched, the kinks in her back from the snowball fight popping out one by one. She noticed Harry's eyes on her again and quickly sat back against the cushions.

'Teddy seems to be coping well, don't you think?' she said. The tension in the room simmered lower as Harry closed his eyes in grateful relief that she had spoken.

'Yeah, he's a tough little thing when all's said and done.'

'I hear he's helping you decorate.' Ginny put on her most innocent tone and fluttered her eyelashes in mock flirtation. Harry laughed.

'You Weasleys never give up, do you?' When Ginny shook her head, giving him a cheeky look he grinned. 'He's not much help at all actually. I have him making finger paintings, and I promised I'd enchant them to move when we're done.' Harry frowned suddenly. 'You know, I have done that before. I hope we can get it to work.'

'I'm sure you'll be fine. And maybe I could help you a bit.' Ginny put on her most innocent, twin-patented look and added, 'you'd just have to let me in the room to help out ...'

Harry threw his head back and laughed out loud. 'I don't think so. I like having you all frustrated and anxious.' Ginny glowered at him, making him grin even more. 'Oh, you are so easy to wind up. I remember the time ...' Harry fell silent as if he realised that Ginny might not want to reminisce about the good old days with him. Not this version of Ginny who blew hot and cold and seemed keen to forget the past they had shared.

'What? You remember what time?' Ginny's voice was soft, encouraging. She knew she should leave well enough alone, but somehow she was enjoying this time with Harry. She could almost forget that he had been a prize jerk to her and just enjoy being here with him in this moment.

Harry's shoulders were tense as he leaned forward. 'That time I told you Ron had found out what we did under the big tree by the lake ... and you freaked out because you believed me.'

Ginny began to giggle helplessly. 'We didn't even do anything, but Merlin you were so convincing I was sure Ron was trying to lynch you. I remember getting my bat bogey hex ready before you could calm me down.'

'Wasn't that what led to your joke about the tattoos? Punishment for poor Ron even though he'd actually done nothing wrong?'

Still giggling, Ginny nodded. 'That seems so long ago now. Were we ever really that young?'

'We're still that young, somewhere inside. Don't you think? I mean we're of age now, but I don't really feel any differently to the way I did that day.' Harry's eyes were once more fixed on hers and that sudden tension was back in the air.

'I do,' Ginny said, her eyes on Harry's, her voice slow and tinged with sadness. 'I feel a million years older and a million miles away from the person I was then. Last year, the battle ... it changed everything.'

The eagerness faded from Harry's face as he took in what she said. Cringing at the turn the conversation had taken, Ginny excused herself and headed up to bed. Why couldn't things be as they were? Why did everything that happened on one day have to intrude and ruin things? Ginny sighed. She knew Harry was upset and she knew she was being irrational. But the more she was drawn to him, the more she felt like she had to protect herself from him. She was a different person now and if he couldn't see that then there was no hope at all.

The tension between them remained into the next day. Harry was stiff and formal with her, and Ginny ached for the easy companionship of the night before. Knowing it was her own fault that he was so distant from her made Ginny want to kick herself. Harry had again retreated to his room to do whatever he was doing but Ginny's curiosity was dampened. She focused on the Living Room, wanting to do something to try and draw Harry out again. With only Kreacher for company she set about removing the furniture from the room. Harry needed a colour in here to liven things up.

'Master Harry likes red,' Kreacher said as he watched her. 'Red walls would be nice wouldn't they?'

'Red? No, I don't think so. Too much red in here would be overwhelming don't you think?'

'Master Harry likes red,' Kreacher reiterated. 'He says you can never have too much red.' He cast a look at Ginny's hair which today was standing out around her head in a wave of fiery brilliance, and she blushed.

'No, Kreacher. Not red. I think maybe yellow. Yellow's very cheerful.'

Kreacher pulled a face at the idea, but bowed low and said, 'whatever mistress thinks best.'

'Wait, Kreacher, I'm not 'mistress' – where did you get that idea?' Kreacher merely bowed again and left the room.

Frustrated, Ginny turned back to her contemplation of the room. Harry's words of the night before came back to her. Yes, he was right: she did know him, did know what he would like. Kreacher was right, too. If it was left up to him, Harry would choose red. Not because of her hair, that idea made her blush again, but because of the Gryffindor Common room. Ginny sighed. She couldn't put red in here, the windows were too small and the colour would seem far too dark, but she could use Gryffindor colours. Red and Gold, with more gold to lighten the room up. In fact, Ginny thought with a flash of inspiration, she was going to make the room as much like the common room as she could with homey furniture and comfortable furnishings. It was going to be as far distant from this formal, dingy, uptight place as she could manage.

Humming to herself, Ginny got on with the work. She placed a quick floo call to the magical hardware shop Harry had an account with and got the necessary paints in. Remembering the way she had enjoyed smashing at the wall downstairs with the sledgehammer, Ginny also ordered a paint roller, determined to put her own sweat and energy into this room. When the neatly wrapped packages arrived in the fireplace she gathered everything together and retreated to her work space.

Two hours later she had to admit that rollers were one of the worst muggle artefacts ever invented and that paint had a dreadful tendency to get everywhere when you tried to use one. Stepping back, she surveyed her work critically and glared at the frustratingly small patch of wall she had managed to get paint on.

There was a cheerful knock at the door and Harry popped his head around the corner. His eyes lit up with mirth when he saw the state she was in.

'Um, Ginny, I don't know if anyone told you, but the paint is supposed to go on the walls not the floor – or the painter.'

Ginny flicked the roller in Harry's direction and he tried to duck but paint splattered onto his face anyway.

'Lost my touch, I think,' he said in a rueful tone as he wiped the splatters off his face and Ginny started giggling. 'I need to do a bit more quidditch practice before we start reflex training at the Ministry if I don't want to be embarrassed again.'

Ginny's giggles tapered off and she gathered her tools together into one tidy pile. 'How are things at the Ministry, Harry? Is being an auror what you thought it would be?'

'Auror trainee,' Harry corrected absentmindedly. 'It's actually pretty interesting so far. It's been mostly theory but the history of the department is fascinating and the spells we're learning are challenging. I can't wait to get out into the field after the vacation, though. Anyway, lunch time.' Harry nodded his head towards the door, inviting her to precede him out of the room.

'I'll be right there, Harry, just let me get cleaned up and tell Kreacher I won't be long.' Ginny smiled at him as he left the room and carefully cast the charm to vanish unwanted stains.

The rest of the day passed in much the same way. Ginny stubbornly refused to use magic to get the paint on the walls, and it was only with Kreacher's help that she got the rich, buttery gold paint the way she wanted it, with dark crimson trimmings finishing off the effect. While it was drying she started transfiguring the furniture and curtains, determined to have it done by that evening. Eventually she would have to order real versions of it all, but this was a good way to see what it would look like and remove the depressing aura from the room.

While she had been painting, Ginny hadn't spared a thought for what Harry was getting up to. Now that her work was done, however, she was infuriated to find that she was listening for any hint of Harry coming by. It worried her that in two short days she had gone from anger and resentment at Harry to craving his company. This was too short, too fast; there had been no resolution of the issues that had plagued her for so long. Every sound she heard made Ginny wonder if it was Harry coming to see what she was up to, before remembering that she was supposed to be still angry with him. Confused, she stopped what she was doing and sat down heavily.

This mixed up reaction to Harry just wouldn't do. It hit Ginny that maybe she wasn't angry at Harry, maybe she had been shielding herself from the implications of the war being over. She had cut herself off and kept Harry at arm's distance because she was too scared of what her feelings meant. Having seen him dead, Ginny felt the need to protect herself from having to see it again, from caring about what seeing it meant. She decided that she was going to change the way she approached Harry. She wasn't going to leap on him no matter how much she wanted to, since she was still too hurt by his actions, but maybe it was time to stop holding onto her grudge and forgive him, try to salvage some sort of friendship.

Having decided how to act towards her host in future, Ginny shrugged off her thoughts again and went back to transforming the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

'You have to close your eyes,' Ginny said. 'Kreacher's been helping me, so I hope you like it.' Ginny's nerves were causing her to babble a little; her obvious tension making Harry tense in return. She looked up at him and flushed as she caught his eye. He held her gaze until she cleared her throat, and turned him slightly so she could push him into the room in front of them.

'Close your eyes,' she repeated more firmly. After another few seconds Harry turned his head, allowing his eyes to drop away from hers as she guided him through the door. His back tingled where Ginny's palms pressed against it, and he was uncomfortably aware of her proximity. Thinking of all the times one or other of them had guided the other like this he felt a lump rise in his throat. As if to mock his memories Ginny let her hands fall quickly once they were inside.

'Okay, you can look now,' Ginny's voice broke into his thoughts and he opened his eyes. The walls were a warm gold colour that looked far better that he'd thought it would when he'd caught Ginny wearing it just a few hours earlier. The red she had chosen as a counterpoint to it on the lower panelling should have clashed terribly and yet it served to emphasise the cheerful colour of the rest of the room. The heavy curtains were the same red, but unlike the silver grey the Blacks had favoured, they made the whole room feel warm and lived in, welcoming. What he loved most, however, was the furniture. Ginny had painstakingly recreated all the Gryffindor couches and a table to make it as much like a home as she could for him. Harry stared at it, speechless.

'You don't like it. Sorry. I'll ... I'll change it.' Flustered, Ginny began to reach for her wand.

'It's perfect.' Harry looked at her, hoping she would feel the sincerity. 'I knew it would be.' Ginny blushed as he smiled at her, a light in her brown eyes that he hadn't seen in a long time. His heart began to beat faster before she broke the moment by bustling around showing what she'd done.

'I have the lights on gold at the moment because that makes it bright and homely, but if you want a more intimate feel, you can change it to this deeper red, see, just wave your wand like this ...'

'Intimate, you reckon?' Startled out of her babble, Ginny grinned at him.

'Well, I didn't mean it quite like that, but I'm sure if that's what you want to do, your lady friends won't mind.'

'I don't have lady friends around!' Harry cried indignantly. 'I haven't had any lady friend since ... well, since you.'

Ginny looked at him, her eyes unreadable. 'That can't be right. I mean, you were the hero of the battle ... surely there were girls all over you.'

'Maybe there were,' Harry said. 'But maybe I didn't care about them.' He sat down in one of the squishy couches, and Ginny slid onto one nearby. 'After the war I just wanted time to myself, you know, and not ... not as Harry Potter, who was always ... connected to Voldemort.' He stopped for a long moment, considering whether he should say what else was on his mind. Finally he made up his mind.

'The only person I really wanted didn't want anything to do with me, so I got on with auror training and just forgot all about that stuff.'

Ginny flushed and looked away. She knew she had been irrational, she even knew why Harry had been so protective during that battle. But sitting here with Harry she wondered why it had seemed important to be angry about it. Why hadn't she just talked to him about it rather than condemning them both to this limbo? Then she remembered she wasn't the only one who hadn't communicated and she got angry again.

'Well, that's all fine, but you never bothered to talk to me either. It's not all my fault,' she snapped.

Harry gave a sour grin. 'Funny how you know it's you I was talking about. You always did understand me.' He watched the crimson climb from her neck to her ears and smiled. 'We understand each other, I mean.' He scrubbed his hands over his face and added, 'I was upset, I think, that you cut me off so I just kept to myself.'

As fast as it had appeared, Ginny's anger swept away. There was something about Harry that always made her temper flare, and yet he was also able to dispel it with a single well-chosen word. Ginny reached over and touched his arm. The simple feel of her hand on his forearm electrified Harry and he looked at her and smiled. Somehow, with that one single touch, the simmering tension between them dispelled.

'I'm sorry, too, Harry,' Ginny said. 'We were both dense, but I should have actually said something to you rather than going off in a huff.'

'So, we can be friends again? Real friends?' Harry could hear the hope in his voice and squirmed in embarrassment, but Ginny didn't seem to notice. More at ease than they had been since being confined to this house together, Harry and Ginny talked long into the night and if Kreacher saw them and thought they should be asleep, he wisely kept his own council.

The next morning Harry dragged his eyes open with a groan, and turned over to look at the clock on his wall.

'You're late,' it trilled cheerfully and Harry tossed his pillow at it before forcing himself to sit up.

'I'm not late,' he told it, grinning as he remembered the conversation with Ginny last night that had covered topics like the current Minister for Magic's policies on ex-Death Eaters, Ginny's quidditch aspirations now she was out of school and Harry's plans for the rest of the house. 'I'm finally on the right track, and staying up a little late was worth it.'

'You're late,' the clock reiterated stubbornly and Harry laughed.

'Merlin! Teddy!' he gasped suddenly as he pulled on the closest clothes he could find and dashed to the little boy's room. Teddy wasn't there and Harry was just beginning to panic when he heard a cheerful childish giggle coming from Ginny's room. He knocked on the door and Ginny called, 'come in' far more happily than he felt was suitable at this time of the morning after a late night.

'Teddy, what have you done to Ginny?' Harry said, startled.

'Pwetty. Ginny, pwetty,' Teddy giggled.

'What's the matter, Harry? You don't like the makeover Teddy gave me?' Ginny smirked at Harry with a totally green face, and an elaborate headdress of white feathers which Harry suspected had once been a muggle duster like Aunt Petunia used to use.

'Not at all. It's, ah ... very festive, Teddy. Today we show Ginny our secret and that's a perfect look for the occasion.' He winked at Ginny who glared at him, making him grin and change the subject. 'It's time for breakfast. Who wants pancakes?'

Several hours later Harry was pacing, nerves finally getting the better of him. Ginny had been teasing him all day about the room he was working on and the pressure was beginning to get to him. What if she didn't like it? What if instead of bringing her close to him this backfired and shattered the new peace they had found last night?

'I've finally got you frustrated and anxious,' Ginny said, startling Harry out of his thoughts. 'It suits you.' She grinned at him in amused acknowledgement of his anxiety and Harry grimaced.

'Teddy's in bed and hopefully he'll sleep for a while,' he said, changing the subject. Ginny raised one eyebrow at him.

'So ... are you going to show me this room, or are you going to hover here forever?'

Anxiety twisting inside him, Harry pushed open the door. Unlike Ginny he didn't make a ceremony of covering her eyes, but rather stepped back and gestured her forward. All teasing left her face as she moved into the room, catching his eye as she passed him. The look in her eye changed from amusement to something deeper as she turned from him to see the room.

Somehow Harry had taken everything he knew about Ginny and captured her in this one space. The walls were reminiscent of her room at the Burrow, a deep sky blue colour that made her feel like she was in the air on her broom. The pictures of quidditch stars were similar, but this didn't feel like a teenager's bedroom. Harry had managed to imbue the room with the personality she wore now: older, warmer, sharpened by war, strengthened by peace. This was a room for a confident woman, secure in herself and not intimidated by anyone. Ginny was drawn to the two main features of the room. The first was a floor length mirror on one wall on which was engraved the words 'future quidditch star.' The mirror didn't show Ginny as she was, in her everyday clothes with her hair pulled into a casual ponytail. It showed her as a beautiful woman: cool, confident, wearing a quidditch uniform, sparkling with energy and passion.

'Why is it showing me like that?'

'That's how I see you. I know you want to become a professional player, and I know you can do it. Whenever you look in that mirror I hope you'll remember that.' Ginny shivered. Harry was close behind her now and she could feel his breath on her ear. She nodded, too overwhelmed to say anything, seeing the mirror version of her nod her head, supremely confident in her own abilities.

'This is what I really want you to see,' Harry said, directing Ginny's attention to the centre of the room. He had placed a large, ornate pensieve in the room and Ginny had wondered why it was there. Harry reached for her hand then pulled back quickly Instead waving her towards the stone basin. 'I want to show you something.'

Ginny looked at him quizzically and he smiled. 'You said I didn't appreciate you during the battle, so I put a few memories in here to show you something.' This time he did hold his hand out to Ginny. She looked at it for a few seconds before taking it as they both leaned into the silvery surface.

They landed in a forest in the middle of nowhere. It was pitch black, the air around them was bitterly cold with several patches of snow on the ground. Ginny's hand remained warm and steady in Harry's. He looked around, trying to remember which memory he'd brought her to first. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted his memory self sitting outside the tent poring over the marauders' map. His attention was focused on Ginny, however, as he tried to gauge how she was taking this. Her eyes were glued to his distant form. She circled around behind the Harry by the tent and saw him with his wand lit up following her name on the map in front of him.

'I watched you every time I was on guard duty; it made me feel less alone somehow,' Harry whispered in her ear.

Ginny turned bright eyes to him and smiled. 'I never knew.'

'I know,' he said. 'I never told anyone, not even Hermione or Ron.'

The scene around them swirled and reformed and Ginny saw the battle at Hogwarts raging around them. She gripped Harry's hand more tightly and he squeezed hers in reassurance. Ginny watched herself shooting spells out the window next to Tonks then turned and found Harry framed in the doorway of the Room of Requirement. The look of admiration on his face as he looked at her was unmistakable.

'Why the hell didn't you look at me like that when you first saw me that day? All I wanted was to see you again, and you looked so cold ...'

'I don't know. Shock, I guess. Fear. This is how I really saw you that day, when I wasn't focused on the worry.' Harry shrugged as the scene changed again.

They were in Ginny's bedroom. She watched her memory self draw near to Harry, and for the first time, seeing this memory from the outside, Ginny could see the depth of the feeling that flickered in Harry. At the time she had thought she was the one most invested in this kiss, but with the benefit of perspective she could see how much it meant to Harry too. Ginny looked up at the Harry beside her. The look on his face as he relived the memory made her heart clench and this time she squeezed his hand. He looked down at her and gave her a sad smile.

'I thought of this moment right before I ... you know ... died, I guess is the word for it. With ... with Voldemort.' Harry's voice was quiet and Ginny's hand jerked convulsively in his as she thought about that time. 'I always wish we could have lengthened that moment,' Harry said as the memory Ron burst into the room with Hermione close behind him. Ginny nodded as the scene changed a final time.

This time they were in a cluttered tent. Harry, Ron and Hermione had flesh coloured strings pressed to their ears and Ginny smiled in memory of the twins' extendable ears. She couldn't make out what they were listening to, but she could see the tension on Ron's face, the excitement on Hermione's, and the fierce pride on Harry's as they listened.

'This is when we found out you tried to steal the Sword of Gryffindor,' Harry whispered in Ginny's ear. 'look, see ... I was so proud of you.' Indeed, the Harry in the memory gave a fierce grin and clutched the flesh-coloured string closer to his ear. Bewildered, Ginny watched the scene play out. Harry and Hermione were so excited, and the first word out of Harry's mouth was Ginny's name.

'You were, well, my rock that whole year,' Harry looked down, ruffling his hair in embarrassment as he spoke, 'and the thought of you back at Hogwarts still keeping the DA alive was so ... um, I guess empowering is the word for it.' Harry turned to face Ginny, ignoring the now painful memory playing out before them as memory Ron started shouting. 'I never thought you were incapable, but I think I needed you to be safe and secure to carry on.' Harry stopped, took a deep breath, then added, 'I needed to know that you were okay ... because if anything had happened to you, Ginny –' Harry gripped Ginny's hands tightly as if to anchor himself. His eyes were pleading as he said, 'but I'm sorry; that was all about me. I never thought about your needs. I have to say it again ...'

'No you don't,' said Ginny, cutting him off as Ron stormed out of the tent in the background. 'I think I always knew why you did it. I was just scared.' Without really planning it, Ginny pulled Harry's head down to hers and kissed him fiercely. Harry wasn't expecting it, but he kissed her back enthusiastically. When Ginny pulled away again she looked into his stunned face and giggled. 'I'm sorry too. Sorry for not talking to you.' Casting a glance back at the scene in the tent with a shellshocked Harry and sobbing Hermione, Ginny tugged gently on Harry's hand pulling him out of the pensieve. 'I missed you,' she said and kissed him again. His hands slid into her hair as he kissed her back.

A triumphant Molly slipped onto the couch next to Andromeda.

'Hand it over.'

'Hand what over?' Andromeda feigned ignorance as she kept her eyes on Teddy, who was explaining the moving finger paintings to all of Harry's house-warming guests.

'My galleon,' Molly said with an air of smugness. 'I told you it would only take three days to get them to see sense, but you insisted on five days for the whole charade.'

With a sigh Andromeda pulled out one of the large gold coins and handed it to Molly. 'It's always good to leave extra time, anyway, just in case.'

'I knew they wouldn't need it,' said Molly again, her eyes drifting over to where Harry was welcoming guests to his newly refurbished home, Ginny by his side. It had been several weeks since the pair had been forced together through Teddy's fabricated brush with Dragon Pox, and they had just finished making the house more like a home. Molly had hardly seen Ginny since the 'quarantine' had been lifted.

Kreacher sidled up to the two women and offered them a butterbeer from his tray. Andromeda took one and smiled at Kreacher.

'You were a lot of help with our plan, too, Kreacher. Thank you.'

'It was Kreacher's pleasure, Miss Andromeda. Mistress Ginny belongs with Master Harry and Kreacher is happy to help. Master Harry does like red,' he added cryptically as he trotted off towards the next group of guests.

'I don't think we'd better tell them that we gave them a friendly shove in the right direction,' said Andromeda as she watched Ginny laughing at something Harry had said.

'Definitely not,' said Molly, her eyes moist as she watched the couple. 'I wouldn't want to face Ginny's temper on this one. I think this is one secret that had better stay between the three of us.'


End file.
